Chapter 6 - The Journey to Vermont
The morning sun broke over the Green Mountains, painting the autumn leaves in rich shades of crimson and gold. Elena sat in the passenger seat of Clara’s SUV, her eyes fixed on the narrow winding highway leading into Burlington, Vermont. In the backseat, Noah was fast asleep, clutching his favorite plush bear—a gift Clara had bought him before they hit the road.
For the first time in years, the suffocating shadow of the Mercer name didn't feel so heavy. Margaret was sitting in a county jail cell, unable to post the exorbitant bail set by a judge who was thoroughly appalled by the evidence of child endangerment and armed intimidation. Grant was facing a mandatory state prison sentence. But as the miles melted away, Elena’s heart hammered with a different kind of anxiety.
What would Sarah Lin be like? How had David’s former love survived under the thumb of Margaret Mercer for nearly a decade?
Following the address written on the old bank documents, Clara pulled up outside a charming, weathered brick building on the outskirts of a quiet lakeside town. A wooden sign hung above the door: Lin Family Ceramics & Florals.
Elena stepped out of the car, her knees trembling slightly. She walked up to the glass door and pushed it open, the gentle chime of a brass bell announcing her arrival.
Inside, the air smelled of wet clay, eucalyptus, and freshly ground coffee. Standing behind a wooden counter, wrapping a bundle of lavender in twine, was a woman in her early thirties. She had soft brown eyes and dark hair pulled back in a loose bun. Beside her on a stool, drawing with colored pencils on a sketchpad, was a young girl with David’s precise brow and unmistakable hazel eyes.
Elena stopped in her tracks. The resemblance was so striking it brought tears to her eyes instantly.
The woman looked up, offering a polite smile. "Welcome! Let me know if you need help finding—" She cut herself off, her eyes sweeping over Elena’s face, then drifting out the window toward Clara and Noah coming up the walkway. Sarah’s face turned deathly pale. The twine slipped from her fingers. "You... you're David's wife."
"Sarah," Elena said softly, taking a cautious step forward. "My name is Elena. And I didn't come here to hurt you."
Sarah backed into the wooden counter, her hands shaking violently. "Did Margaret send you? Please... I’ve kept my promise! I haven't contacted anyone in North Carolina! I stayed quiet just like she told me to!"
"Margaret can't hurt you anymore," Elena said, her voice filled with fierce warmth. "Margaret Mercer is in handcuffs. She and Grant were arrested two nights ago."
Sarah gasped, placing a trembling hand over her mouth. Maya looked up from her sketchpad, her wide hazel eyes darting between her mother and the stranger.
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"David passed away fourteen months ago," Elena continued gently, stepping closer. "And he never forgot about you or Maya. Margaret hid his daughter from the world, Sarah. But David kept your letters in his iron box. He kept Maya's birth certificate under lock and key. I found them, and I came to bring David's children together."
Sarah collapsed onto a wooden stool, weeping openly—not from fear, but from nine long years of accumulated terror finally melting away.
